The Music Industry Has 99 Problems. And They Are…

Our long-running series, updated for the summer. Got solutions?

Streaming Problems.

1. The leading streaming music companies — YouTube/Google, Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple and others — have been routinely accused of treating artists poorly through duplicitous contract structures and low payments. Apple seems to be taking serious steps to repair this, and Tidal has emerged as a more artist-friendly platform. But sadly, most artists have no idea what they should be receiving, or what is fair payment for a stream (ad-supported, paid, or in-between).

2. All of that has created a low-trust environment, and confused artists and fans over who to support. Platforms like Spotify are fantastic, but are they screwing artists? Just last summer, Taylor Swift battled Apple in a very public manner over royalty concerns; Apple eventually conceded, though streaming platforms are often painted as anti-artist.

3. Compounding the problem is that streaming services like Spotify offer very little reliable guidance on their payout structures. Everything is opaque, even though Spotify and YouTube point to massive payouts to rights owners. Down on the ground, artists have very little idea of (a) what they’re being paid, and (b) what they should be getting paid.

4. Against that confusion, companies like Spotify have even been accused of deliberately creating complicated payout structures to hopelessly confuse artists and rights owners. Spotify has attempted to cool the criticism by offering details on its payout structure and pointing to top-level, big royalty payouts. Still, most artists can’t quite figure out the math.

5. Even worse, Spotify is suspected of over-stating its per-stream payout structure, based on discrepancies with extremely low rates published by actual artists (usually on Digital Music News, here, here, and here, for starters.) This issue has not been roundly addressed by Spotify, which has created an even lower-trust environment with many artists and independent labels.

6. Indies and smaller artists also complain that their rates are lower than bigger, major labels. Some have pointed to different tiers of compensation, though few have a concrete idea on exactly how payouts are structured (see above).

7. Companies like Spotify have pointed to royalty increases with scale and greater user levels, though critics like David Lowery have pointed to persistent declines in streaming royalty rates. Others, including Audiam cofounder Jeff Price, has calculated that per-stream royalties to artists are actually declining (see above), despite claims to the contrary.

8. Meanwhile, services like Spotify have refused to abandon their ad-supported tiers, despite strong progress by premium-only services like Apple Music and Tidal. That makes it harder to elevate streaming royalty rates.

9. YouTube, the largest online platform for consuming music, is notorious for low-paying, ad-based royalties, with little signs of improvement. In fact, YouTube has fought aggressively to maintain its free tier, while shunning industry attempts to better control content and pay more to content owners.

10. Compounding the situation are ad-blockers, a major threat to YouTube’s ad-supported revenue stream. Similar add-ons exist for services like Spotify, raising questions over whether ad-supported will soon be eviscerated.

11. Already, this is a big deal at YouTube, that is one motivation for YouTube Red, a premium video offering, but currently, the service doesn’t seem to have many subscribers. The same is true for SoundCloud, whose ‘SoundCloud Go’ doesn’t seem to be converting any paid adherents.

12. Streaming is surging, but its royalty payouts are low and cannibalistic towards other, more lucrative formats. Which is why artists like Adele and Taylor Swift have opted not to license Spotify. And, why Taylor Swift’s label, Big Machine Records, has indicated that no future, frontline releases will be licensed to Spotify.

13. Many artists feel that the priorities of streaming services like Spotify skew towards acquisitions, IPOs, and other liquidation events, not towards the interests of content holders and artists. Heightening those concerns are the involvement of investors like Goldman Sachs, a major Spotify stakeholder, and recent news that an IPO is being planned for mid-2017.

14. Even worse, the interests of the major labels are very similar, which explains the massive percentage shares awarded to major labels by streaming services. These percentages are awarded in exchange for content licensing (just recently, Universal Music Group received $404 million from the sale of Beats), but many artists have built-in contractual stipulations excluding them from receiving any proceeds from acquisitions, IPOs, or other liquidation events.

15. Even worse than than, major labels have been shown to pay nothing from these cash-out windfalls to their artists. Just recently, Warner Music Group changed course and offered to change that practice, though skeptics pointed to a lack of concrete plans.

16. Streaming is rapidly becoming the dominant form of music consumption, though it is now widely viewed as a cashless loss-leader for artists and songwriters. That said, some artists — including Perrin Lamb — have made sizable payouts from heavy Spotify playlist rotation. But that’s mainly the exception.

17. And despite a continued surge in streaming, it’s not enough to compensate for broader declines in physical CDs and paid downloads, and sadly, per-stream royalty rates are incredibly low.

Vinyl Problems.

18. Vinyl LP sales are surging year-over-year, but still represent a tiny fraction of recordings purchased.

19. The production infrastructure around vinyl continues to ramp up slowly, and producing vinyl can be incredibly difficult and time-consuming for artists and labels. In some cases, artists will wait months to turn around product, and many production facilities aren’t taking on new releases.

20. Most pressing facilities are using decades-old equipment, though investors are fearful of investing in vinyl machines and infrastructure because it might be a fad. All of that is stunting vinyl’s growth (though there are some signs that this is changing).

Download Plunge Problems.

21. Meanwhile, paid downloads are plunging, with massive declines surfacing this year. In fact, 2016 could be the worst decline ever experienced by paid downloads. That is bad news for artists and labels, given that the payouts on downloads are far higher than streaming (thanks to an upfront payment and more predictable revenue cut). Indie labels, a group that has relied heavily on download revenue, could be most affected.

22. Unfortunately, there’s now a downward technological progression, with vinyl only slightly breaking the chain. With every subsequent format, monetization deteriorates: streaming pays less than downloads; downloads paid less than CDs.

Recording Plunge Problems.

23. Perhaps the bigger problem is that artists can’t depend on selling recordings anymore, thanks to a two-decade plunge in its value. Across the board, artists are experiencing serious problems monetizing their audio releases, which is shifting the emphasis towards touring, in-person experiences, and other activities.

24. Touring is fun, but it can also be extremely demanding and exhausting, especially when its the core revenue generator. Many artists are experiencing difficulties making a sustainable living out of touring, merchandising, or other non-recording activities like ‘experiences’ (see below). In fact, many artists feel that they are being forced into unsustainably long tours, or touring virtually non-stop just to survive.

25. That introduces a number of problems, including artist burnout and an increased risk of accidents while on the road. According to NYU songwriting professor Mike Errico, the artist injury list is soaring, with Dave Grohl, Sam Smith, Miranda Lambert, Steve Aoki, Little Big Town, Meghan Trainor, Nickelback, the Black Keys and Kelly Clarkson all suffering physical, tour-related setbacks.

26. A decade-long decline in recording revenues has dismantled the label system, once the most reliable form of artist financing. That means a lot more freedom for artists, but also a lot less money to develop big, superstar careers. Both independent and major labels, once the core of the music industry ecosystem, still have serious survival problems.

27. Fan-funding platforms like Kickstarter,Pledgemusic, and Patreon have admirably filled some of that lost financing, but they haven’t come close to matching the overall funding source. Crowdfunding success stories like Amanda Palmer are sometimes viewed as anomalies but offer lots of hope, with artists slowly figuring out ways to monetize their core followings.

28. Other attempts to make up the lost revenue have fallen short. BandPage, a pioneer in trying to monetize artist ‘experiences’ to help make up for lost recording revenues, was unable to scale that alternate revenue source substantially enough. After many years and considerable investment, BandPage was sold at a heavy loss to YouTube.

29. A big part of the problem is that most consumers now attribute very little value to the recording itself, and most consumption (through YouTube, ad-supported piracy, or BitTorrent) happens at little-to-zero cost to the listener.

30. A massive, decades-long shift towards free (or near-free) music means that entire generations of listeners have never paid anything for recordings. And, predictably, will continue to resist any requirements to pay for music. Artists are being forced to adapt and invent other revenue-generators on the fly.

31. Strategies to recover recording revenues at labels often backfire. A once-promising shift towards 360-degree models never quite generated enough money for the major labels, even though these labels generally insist on broader rights deals with all new artists.

Problems With Technology Giants.

32. On top of all that, the largest streaming platform in the world, Google-owned YouTube, doesn’t think that music devaluation is even possible. “It’s amazing how often people invoke that word ‘devalue’ as if it means something,” Google executive Tim Quirk said in 2014. “It doesn’t. You know why? Because you can’t devalue music. It’s impossible. Songs are not worth exactly 99 cents and albums are not worth precisely $9.99.”

33. Even worse, some major label artists are receiving nothing at all from streaming, even with extremely high play counts. That is the case for Lady Gaga, whose manager Troy Carter says Universal Music Group paid the singer nothing despite millions and millions of streams on platforms like Spotify.

34. Worsening the situation is a circular ‘blame game’ between streaming giants and labels, with artists ultimately shorted. Spotify says they pay the labels, though this is often with huge, multi-million dollar advances and/or equity positions attached. But labels frequently don’t pay their artists, either for legitimate (ie, the artist is unrecouped) or illegitimate (ie, they’re screwing an artist) reasons.

Album Problems.

35. The album collapse has caused a massive revenue drop for both labels and artists. The reason is that fans, if they’re even purchasing anything, are no longer ‘buying the bundle,’ or collection of songs. That’s great for cherry-picking consumers, but often leaves artists unable to recoup their costs or make a decent living. It’s a singles world, get used to it!

36. Perhaps more importantly, that bundled product has not been replaced, despite endless attempts to package other items together. Post-album, artists and labels have failed to establish a lucrative, reliable bundle to monetize their recordings.

37. Even success stories like Adele, whose ’25’ is now approaching 10 million albums sold, are viewed as being potentially damaging to artists and the broader industry. The reason is that Adele’s ‘unicorn’ success could cause smaller artists and independent labels to strategize around a format that is largely dying.

38. The homemade, CD-burned album, once a huge revenue-generator for smaller touring artists at merch tables, has now dropped to zero. That has put more pressure on artists to sell other merchandise like t-shirts, while decreasing available cash for touring essentials like gas and food.

39. Many music enthusiasts have argued that the decline of the album has decreased music appreciation and focus. Gone are the days of dedicated listening, fabulous album artwork, and defined ‘opuses’ that defined a previous musical generation.

Certification and Award Problems.

40. The music industry is currently battling over how to count sales. In a recent episode, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Rihanna’s ‘Anti’ as Platinum after its first week, signifying one million album sales. Yet Billboard and its data-tracking partner, Nielsen, only counted 460 copies during the same period.

41. Separately, a strikingly large number of important artists have never been awarded a Grammy, including Snoop Dogg, Bob Marley, Guns n’ Roses, KISS, and Morrissey. And those are just a few of the artists never handed an award.

DMCA Takedown Problems

42. The DMCA, once considered a reasonable method for flagging and removing infringing content while protecting online companies from liability, has now become an unmanageable and dysfunctional process for most content owners.

43. Google, the most influential company in the music industry, is actively resisting any efforts to reduce piracy across its key platforms, Search and YouTube. Despite millions upon millions of DMCA-ordered takedowns, often of the same content, Google has flatly refused to adopt ‘take down, stay down’ approaches.

44. Google may also be accelerating the problem. Searching for torrents and pirated material is not only easy, it’s frequently auto-completed for the user in Google’s searchbox. Or, worse, delivered in email as part of a Google Alert.

46. Others, like SoundCloud, have built entire business on DMCA-based takedowns. SoundCloud, now one of the largest music websites in the world, has been subject to massive content takedowns by major labels.

47. Even worse, bad actors like Grooveshark have directly abused the DMCA to build massively infringing platforms while collecting millions in ad revenue. Others can easily do the same thing, though perhaps not on that scale.

48. Meanwhile, the music industry expends massive resources issuing DMCA takedown requests, even for sites that have already published thousands of infringing links in the past.

49. That points to a desperately needed change in law, though efforts to advance ‘take down, stay down’ legislation remain slow and out-lobbied.

Piracy Problems.

50. Artists live under the constant threat of leaks, especially popular artists. Artists are typically forced to publish their songs immediately, even if they’d prefer to wait.

51. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, multiple research reports show that BitTorrent piracy rates continue to increase.

53. If an artist restricts content in any fashion, piracy typically increases in response. That was a lesson just learned by Kanye West, whose decision to restrict his music to Tidal resulted in a BitTorrent surge.

54. Major labels are now locked in an endless game of ‘whack-a-mole,’ with smashed sites like Grooveshark continuously popping up in new places (for example, grooveshark.asia). Others, like the Pirate Bay, refuse to die, while replacements like Kickass Torrents quickly fill the void.

Exclusivity and Windowing Problems.

55. Thanks to breakneck technological evolution, the music industry is now managing a portfolio of different formats that all reach different audiences and pay out differently. That has caused the industry to consider a shift towards format windowing, despite major issues with piracy (just ask Kanye).

Massive Media Overload Problems.

56. It’s harder than ever for a newer artist to get noticed.

57. The artist has greater and more direct access to fans than ever before in history. Unfortunately, so do millions of other artists, a situation that often causes fans to listen to less music.

58. Indeed, the typical music fan is flooded with music, not to mention videos, games, ebooks, and porn, all of which makes it extremely difficult to win and retain the attention of future fans. And, keep them around.

59. This also puts pressure on the artist to shorten the release cycle, and pump out content at a quick pace. Even at the expense of quality.

Facebook Problems.

60. The artist currently lacks a centralized hub online that is a default for music fans, thanks to the erosion of MySpace Music. Facebook was once viewed as a replacement for MySpace Music, but never materialized as such.

61. Even worse, Facebook charges artists to reach their own fans, a move it defends as necessary given massive increases in Timeline posts that are overwhelming users. That leaves artists with another difficult decision as to how to cut through all that noise, with frustration over why they’re having to pay at all.

Artist Survival Problems.

63. Artists are figuring out more constructive ways to make a living, but many are still struggling to make a living wage off of their music, based on stats gleaned from leading digital distributors.

64. In fact, former member of Cracker and current artist activist David Lowery feels that artists are worse off now than they were in the analog era. And, he points to lower payments, less control, a shift in revenue towards tech companies, and less secure copyright protections to prove his case.

66. The average musician is underemployed. According to a musician survey conducted by the Future of Music Coalition (FMC), just 42 percent of musicians are working full-time in music.

67. Musician salaries remain low. Also according to the same FMC survey, the average musician makes $34,455 a year from music-specific gigs, with overall incomes (music+non-music) averaging $55,561.

68. Musicians are increasingly playing free shows, in the hopes of getting paid work down the line. According to a recently released report from the UK-based Musicians’ Union, more than 60 percent of artists have played at least one free gig in the last year.

69. Musicians remain resistant to growing revenues available from cover gigs, like weddings, bar mitzvahs, and parties (though this is starting to change with services like GigSalad).

70. Many older artists are touring just to pay the bills, including medical bills. That includes Dick Dale, who remains on the road despite his advanced age to pay for treatment for rectal cancer, renal failure, and massive vertebrae damage.

Environmental Problems.

71. Vinyl, like other higher-paying physical formats, are bad for the environment. That also goes for other revenue-generators like t-shirts and merchandise.

72. Actually, so is digital: some environmentalists theorize that the digital transition may actually be more damaging to our Earth than physical. Part of the reason is that cloud-hosting requires massive server facilities while consuming massive amounts of energy and pumping out lots of waste.

73. On top of that, digital formats only coexist alongside physical devices like iPads, iPhones, laptops, and sophisticated headphones, all of which are thrown away and replaced after a few years (or shorter).

Record Store Problems.

74. Traditional record stores have largely imploded, with holdouts like Amoeba now relics of an earlier era. A greater appetite for vinyl could reverse that, though it’s still too early to tell.

75. Record Store Day (RSD) has helped stem the decline among smaller record stores, though many complain that major labels are now flooding RSD stores with crappy products. Others regard RSD as a mere band-aid against the inevitable.

76. Either way, the biggest CD releases from the biggest stars always go to the biggest brick-n-mortar stores: Target, Best Buy, or Walmart. That helps the artist and the mega-retailer, but could be harming the industry.

77. The reasons is that these larger, ‘big box’ retailers are accelerating the downward spiral in CD sales, both by dramatically reducing shelf space and by pushing pricing aggressively downwards (often to $5 or less). This is happening even though older demographics are often still receptive to the format.

Executive ‘Brain Drain’ Problems.

78. Most people who work at major labels have very low job security. Which makes it difficult for them to develop longer-term careers, not to mention those of the artists they represent.

79. Established music companies often overpay their failing executives by a wild margin, despite massive and ongoing losses. That may have the effect of skewing the executive focus towards personal enrichment, while sending red flags to investors. Glaring examples of this include multi-million dollar salaries at Warner Music Group, Live Nation, Sony Music Entertainment, and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), among others.

80. That makes it impossible to attract innovative superstars with competitive packages, especially with top-line revenues continuing to fall.

81. But even innovative executives like Rob Wells can find themselves forced out for advancing more forward-leaning approaches. That suggests an older boys’ club that refuses to accept fresh, younger approaches.

82. And even outside of pay, younger people are generally not interested in working at labels or in the traditional music industry anymore, which makes it even more difficult for more older companies to innovate.

83. One result is that very little innovation actually comes from inside the industry. Instead, it is now dictated by non-industry players like Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Apple.

Indie Label Problems.

85. Those problems are expected to magnify with ongoing download sales declines, a critical revenue source for indie labels.

Live Concert Problems.

86. A large percentage of live music fans are frustrated with high ticket prices at concerts, not to mention wildly overpriced, in-venue items like beer.

87. All of which means that fans now regard live concerts as a one-off, infrequent ‘event,’ instead of a regular outing. In fact, the average consumer goes to just 1.5 shows a year (per Live Nation Entertainment).

88. Older, arena-filling artists are starting to die.

89. Concert security has now become a major concern in the wake of the Bataclan attacks. That can increase the cost of putting on a show, especially for targeted, high-profile artists (like Bob Dylan).

90. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, touring is actually extremely difficult and expensive for most artists. Even for more established artists like Imogen Heap, who stopped touring despite solid crowds, and Pomplamoose, who found the financials of touring to be extremely challenging.

91. And, the secondary ticketing market is often fed before the actual market, thanks to bots, aggressive scalpers, or the artists and ticketing providers themselves.

92. Fans frequently miss shows from their favorite artists, even when these artists roll into their hometowns (this was being addressed by fresh players like Magnifi, though unfortunately, that company did not succeed).

93. Meanwhile, service fees continue to outrage fans, even though artist guarantees and advances are often a culprit (then again, Stubhub recently found that ‘all in pricing’ led to fewer sales.)

Songwriter Problems.

94. Songwriters are often paid pennies for successful tracks, even top-charting songs on major streaming and internet radio platforms. In the latest episode, it was revealed that Kevin Kadish, writer of the smash hit ‘All About That Bass’ by Megan Trainor, made just $5,679 for 178 million streams.

97. Even worse for songwriters is that performing artists often force themselves onto the list of writers to increase their royalties, even if they didn’t write a note or lyric.

98. Meanwhile, the threat of accidental plagiarism is increasing, thanks to a hyper-connected creative world and the high likelihood of two writers composing something extremely similar.

Classical Music Problems.

99. Classical orchestras and ensembles continue to struggle, thanks to a continuing problem invigorating younger audiences. That has forced many smaller-market orchestras to downsize or discontinue, while applying plenty of pressure to bigger-city orchestras as well. Meanwhile, top-ranked conservatory grads are battling for a smaller number of gigs.

12 Responses

” A massive, decades-long shift towards free (or near-free) music means that entire generations of listeners have never paid anything for recordings. And, predictably, will continue to resist any requirements to pay for music. ”

I also “resist any requirements” to pay for things. For example, I resist paying my rent. My landlord is so angry; what’s his problem? Get with the times. Everything should be free.

I also do not pay for groceries. Half that stuff grows on trees. Why should I pay someone for it? Especially the organic stuff. Nature gives it to us for…you guessed it…FREE!

Problem number one: UMG, Sony Music, Warner Music, RIAA and IFPI as a team!
Thousands of music professionals blinded by science with no desire to go out of the box and create new game board.
We have $200B of annual goodwill out there but UMG streaming and advertising game board not only has a global income limit of $20B but as a semi-giveaway
OUTRIGHT prevents logical monetization of music.

This list is so demoralizing that it makes me consider quitting. Then again, I consider quitting every day, and still soldier on. The exploitative nature of the music industry is built on fools like myself, who feel driven to make music despite the costs and risks.

Anyway: So many of these problems would be resolved, or at least seriously ameliorated, by the will and enforcement to control piracy, including a fair and efficient redesign of the DMCA and takedown process, which must also include consistent and reasonable penalties to repeat infringers. Music’s (financial) devaluation would be reversed, and negotiations with service providers would take place on a more level playing field.

Now i am not a music business genius but I feel that the music industry (as we have known it) hit a peak decades ago and is disintegrating. We could try to turn the current system into more of a level playing field but I think that would still leave us with a 1% vs 99% sort of predicament where most people still cant compete. I think if we could pioneer a fundamentally new system for producing and promoting our music, we could leave the music tycoons and and the 1% of financially successful to their old system. Instead of trying to level that playing field we design a new one that is fundamentally leveled. If more people could realize they can produce their music at home (and not just electronic tracks) there goes almost half the monetary risk involved in producing your music. If we find even better ways of licensing our own music ourselves we may not make as much money as Adele but we wont have her multi million dollar production/marketing debts and we won’t have to give portions of our small amounts of sales to label execs and slews of other people that we think were vital in the success and creation of our music. Again it wouldn’t be the plastic standard of music production we’ve become accustomed to, but maybe that’s part of what the industry needs as well: to be reminded that its about the artists and the music and not about ensuring monetary gain. The way I see it you stand to gain more that way as opposed to quitting because a bunch of smart people told you you cant afford to make your own music. It could be a glorious ‘fuck you!’ to the current system which in my humble belief suppresses many of the musical geniuses of our time. I could just be naive, in fact i’m sure I am (music business intimidates me!) but one thing I know for sure is that many people will not make their music because of the current structure of our system which is a monopoly. Even if you cant get rich you can still make music, if you have to do it all your self. Keep your head up!

This is a factor I take seriously as well. So what then is the environmentally responsible way to listen to music?
(Even live music can be environmentally costly, especially large tours and festivals).

Perhaps environmental (and social and cultural) consciousness begins with the music itself, by composing and recording music of lasting value, instead of disposable and trend-driven ephemera. A difficult but ever worthy goal. A vinyl record of great music that I would listen to and treasure for a lifetime has a very different environmental cost than a consumption-disposal cycle of ever-shifting tastes, trends, and of-the-moment music. Of course, streaming services encourage and enable the latter approach to music.

Which leads to the inevitable question: How will the art of music itself change now that the culture moves from an ownership to streaming model?

Predictions (some of which are already well in process for years or decades):
– even less fan loyalty to artists
– emphasis on (potential) hit singles vs. albums
– quantity over quality
– immediate gratification (surface) vs. extended listening (depth)
– Gangnam Style over Bach

Perhaps ’twas ever thus, but now it is even more so.
And it breaks my heart.

(Now listening on vinyl: de Machy, Pieces de Viole 1865, performed by Jordi Savall)

Sami Jarroush chats with Steve Stepp, the president of National Audio Company, which is the largest manufacturer and distributor of cassette tapes in the United States.

“Stepp reveals that sales of audio tapes are up 31% and he credits fans of music between the ages of 18 to 34, as well as indie bands, for the rise in sales and interest in cassette tapes. He also discusses the possible nostalgia factor in purchasing tapes, the company’s role in Cassette Store Day, and how portable tape players are much easier to find in stores now more than ever”.

Music consumers and fans like to own a physical tactile object that contains the music as well as graphics and information text.

Great Article, well studied and presented, providing well proofed facts and data, with the honest truth over our dying business.
This is so depressing to read, yet so true – and the earlier we deal with, the better.
I was thinking of adding the “unhappy smiley” but we really got to put a positive attitude dealing with this.
Honestly, I’ve been breaking my head like anyone else in this business, thinking what is going wrong.
I think that the music cause and the future of music in the wide perspective are going to be very hard to protect and almost impossible to save if we only seek business initiatives.
Considerations of the shrinking big music companies are all focused on their own survival.
I think that the right approach dealing with the music industry’s problem is on a multinational, social-educational-musical and nonprofit level, in the form of a “Save the Music” initiative that would seek support from international funding, large cooperation’s, and whoever feels that music is a necessity just like feeding mankind and healing the sick.
Our values, moral and our general mood are all in decline at the cost of a “better” life.
Music is a necessity of top priority.
We have to find the way to make music accessible to everyone and at the same time make this worth to the artists and the supporting music business.
I hope we make it … Continue enjoying Music 🙂 🙂

No denying the fact that streaming will continue to grow. From the perspective of a music fan, the internet was like an explosion with artists, good music, bad music everything scattered around where it gets difficult for us to get access to good uninterrupted quality music. That is when I start subscribing to channels which offer me good music, example Mr. Suicide Sheep is my favourite youtube channel for my daily dose of music.

Just as the traditional media like Television had MTV, now social media like youtube will have its own set of popular channels which will offer artists their due platform and also music lovers our dose of good music. Streaming again comes to the challenges of low payouts by youtube, so unless an alternative is developed wherein this is not considered the primary source of income for the artist but one of the many sources of generating revenue including investing in vinyls + streaming channels + live shows. Quality of music should not be compromised but ultimately the production cost will reduce as more and more artists take to home studios using software tools and digital synthesizers for music production.

I would like to add loudness war somewhere between points 35-39.
Due to it it becomes just physically difficult to listen for the albums, because ear fatigue comes after few songs. And in general quality of music suffers from that. Current sound is mastered to grab attention quickly, but makes song to become boring too quickly.

The “digital revolution” is the ultimate culprit here. It has devalued all art, all entertainment, all creativity. I too was caught up in the “democratization” of music, and the “artist control” aspect of the digital revolution. But as a guy who started in the analog days, recording my first demos on reel-to-reel, I’m sad to say I honestly didn’t see this coming. Even in the “good old days” great artists had a tough time getting recognized, but that’s even more prevalent now that ever. And with so many “middlemen” out there in the digitized music industry, a good act is like chum in a shark tank, with all those middlemen out there trying to get a bite. By the time they’re done, most artists don’t stand a chance. Performers can work their ass off and even more so than years ago, luck will play more of a role than ever in whether they can make a living.

And yes, this article has me thinking hard about giving up – but I was already kinda thinking about it anyway.